Incheon completes UAM helicopter demonstration between Yeongjong and Deokjeok islands
In short
Incheon city said on 21 October that it had completed an urban air mobility (UAM) demonstration on a route linking Yeongjong Island and Deokjeok Island, flown with a helicopter. The 'K-UAM One Team' consortium took part, and KT said its AI traffic management platform and hybrid 5G-satellite network were used, with 100% success in sending aircraft position data.
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Incheon city said on 21 October that it had successfully completed an urban air mobility (UAM) demonstration on a route connecting Yeongjong Island and Deokjeok Island. Two outlets, Yonhap and Asia Economy, reported that the flight took place the day before the announcement, using a UAM helicopter. Newsis described the helicopter as a stand-in aircraft and said the flight ran between Geojampo and Wangsan Marina on Yeongjong and Deokjeok. [ 1 , 2 , 5 ]
The 'K-UAM One Team' took part. Yonhap listed its members as the Aerospace Industry-Academia Convergence Institute (항공우주산학융합원), KT, Korean Air, Hyundai Engineering & Construction, Hyundai Motor and Incheon International Airport Corporation. Newsis said the demonstration was part of the '2026 Incheon island-area UAM demonstration support project' and that the team worked with the transport ministry's urban air mobility policy division and the Korea Aerospace Research Institute. [ 1 , 2 ]
According to the city, the agencies designed the route after considering airspace around the airport, existing air traffic flows, characteristics of flying over the sea, and takeoff and landing conditions. The city's UAM platform was linked to a traffic management system to check the functions a UAM service needs, and real-time position and surrounding traffic were monitored during the flight. Newsis and Asia Economy said the demonstration focused on public needs specific to island areas, including reaching inland medical institutions, access to daily services and emergency travel. [ 1 , 2 , 5 ]
KT, in its own announcement carried by Newsis and Seoul Economic Daily, said it supplied an AI-based traffic management platform that analyses flight plans, aircraft position, weather and vertiport operations to suggest departure and arrival times and standard responses. KT also said it built a hybrid network combining an 800 MHz 5G aviation network for UAM with satellite communications. Tested with KT SAT, it recorded a 100% success rate in sending aircraft position data over the whole flight, and voice quality was kept over the sea. [ 3 , 4 ]
Incheon city and KT described the demonstration as the first domestic case of an island-area public UAM project carried out jointly by the transport ministry, a local government and private companies. Park Gwang-geun, head of the city's maritime and aviation bureau, said the demonstration confirmed the possibility of extending UAM technology into a public service tied to real transport demand on islands. [ 1 , 3 , 4 , 5 ]
The city said it will use the operating conditions and improvement points found on site to refine its route operation plan, takeoff and landing infrastructure, and communication and traffic management systems. Newsis added that the city will keep working on vertiports centred on Geojampo and Deokjeok. The city also plans to link follow-up demonstrations and phased service introduction to the transport ministry's plan to designate UAM pilot operation zones. [ 1 , 2 ]
Separately, Newsis reported that Incheon International Airport Corporation announced completion of a UAM integrated operation demonstration linking the airport and island areas, after earlier non-urban and semi-urban stages, with Korean Air, KT, Hyundai Engineering & Construction and Hyundai Motor. That report does not name the islands. [ 6 ]
Why it matters
Incheon said it will use what it found to refine route plans and infrastructure and to link follow-up demonstrations to the transport ministry's plan to designate UAM pilot operation zones. The documents give no date for any passenger service.
Key facts
- Incheon city announced on 21 October that it had successfully completed a UAM demonstration on a route connecting Yeongjong Island and Deokjeok Island. [ 1 , 2 , 5 , 7 ]
- The flight used a helicopter as a stand-in for a UAM aircraft, between Geojampo and Wangsan Marina on Yeongjong and Deokjeok. [ 2 , 3 ]
- Participants were the 'K-UAM One Team', made up of the Aerospace Industry-Academia Convergence Institute (항공우주산학융합원), KT, Korean Air, Hyundai Engineering & Construction, Hyundai Motor and Incheon International Airport Corporation. [ 1 , 2 , 5 , 7 ]
- The demonstration was part of the '2026 Incheon island-area UAM demonstration support project'. [ 2 ]
- KT said it recorded a 100% communication success rate in sending aircraft position data over the whole flight and kept voice quality over the sea. [ 3 , 4 ]
- Incheon city called the demonstration the first domestic case of a public-demand-based UAM route in an island area developed jointly by the transport ministry, a local government and private companies. [ 1 , 5 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Incheon city said it completed a UAM demonstration on the Yeongjong-Deokjeok route and announced it on 21 October. [ 1 , 2 , 5 , 7 ]
- The flight was conducted with a helicopter. [ 1 , 2 , 5 , 7 ]
- The route was designed after considering airspace around the airport, existing air traffic flows, characteristics of flying over the sea, and takeoff and landing conditions. [ 1 , 2 , 5 , 7 ]
- KT said it combined an 800 MHz 5G aviation network for UAM with satellite communications and tested it with its satellite subsidiary KT SAT. [ 3 , 4 ]
Still unclear
- Whether the demonstration carried passengers, and how many flights were made. None of the documents says.
- The 100% communication success rate over the whole flight. The figure comes from KT's own announcement, carried by two outlets, with no independent check in the documents.
- Whether the Incheon International Airport Corporation's 'UAM integrated operation demonstration' is the same flight as the Yeongjong-Deokjeok demonstration. The airport corporation's announcement refers to a demonstration linking the airport and island areas but does not name the islands or give a flight date.
- The date of the flight. Two documents say it took place the day before the 21 October announcement; the others give no date.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- Yonhap published Incheon city's announcement of the completed demonstration. [ 1 ]
- Newsis reported the demonstration was part of the 2026 island-area UAM support project. [ 2 ]
- Newsis published KT's announcement on its role in the demonstration. [ 3 ]
- Seoul Economic Daily reported KT's 100% communication success rate. [ 4 ]
- Newsis reported Incheon International Airport Corporation's announcement of a completed UAM integrated operation demonstration. [ 6 ]